High speed laser printers allow a company the ability to produce large numbers of documents quickly. While a number of systems have been developed, for both pre- and post-processing of documents associated with laser printers, one area which has not been sufficiently addressed is to how to handle all the documents after they have been produced. Present methods are either completely manual and very labor intensive, also having a significant number of errors associated therewith, or are "rigid", being centrally controlled so that every time a change or modification is necessary new software must be developed and implemented.
In the handling of documents from laser printers, it is often necessary to wrap or band the documents into groups, then route them to particular shipping containers which have different destinations. The method and apparatus according to the present invention allows all of the steps associated with handling of the documents after printing by a laser printer to be automatic, including ensuring that each group of documents is selectively handled in the manner best for it, and is routed to an appropriate shipping container.
In one logical sequence of operation of the apparatus according to the invention to practice the method according to the invention the documents are printed on a laser printer, and bar codes are printed on the banner page for each group of documents for the same destination. If the documents are in continuous form (rather than cut sheet form), they are folded, severed, and stacked with the banner page down. The documents then move past a bar code scanner onto a staging conveyor where the documents are scanned for verification and to enter them into a data base. For example the first five digits of the bar code may provide a consecutive number printed by the printer with a sequence from each printer to identify the particular printer. A scanner decoder monitors the consecutive order of the numbers to verify that all the documents are in sequence and none are missing. If an out of sequence document is detected an alarm may be sounded, the stacker can be stopped, or the group of documents can be moved onto a special handling conveyor. The documents are moved onto a main line conveyor at a merging intersection when sensors detect the absence of other documents in, or immediately before, the intersection.
The main line conveyor may convey the documents at about 100 feet per minute allowing enough space between documents to handle the output from at least three printers. Documents are sensed and scanned for diversion to wrapping, or other finishing lines. Also information can be used to produce a label for a shipping container if the document is the first for a particular new delivery point, so that a new container can be labelled. For example if the sixth character in the bar code on the banner page is a "0" the group of documents may continue down the main line, whereas if it is a "1" a signal from a decoder will activate an intersection (transfer conveyor) to divert the document to a continuous loop wrapping line. The documents are merged from the wrapping line back into the main line.
As the documents move along the main line conveyor they come to filling station intersections (transfer conveyors). If a sensor in a filling station determines that it is empty, an intersection will be activated and a document diverted over a scanner into the filling station For example characters 7 to 10 of the bar coding of the banner page may contain the destination code which is scanned and stored in a decoder until a shipping container with the same destination code is scanned. When the two codes match the document is dropped into the shipping container, which is being conveyed on a shipping container conveyor beneath the filling station. The drop is inhibited if sensors determine that the shipping container does not have enough room for the document in the filling station.
If there is a document in a filling station that does not fit any shipping container a new container with the same destination code may be put into the container conveying loop. If the first station is full the document continues along the main line until it finds an open station, or if no stations are open, it transfers in an auxiliary loop to be fed back to the main line conveyor before the first filling station.
If a container in the shipping container loop is detected as full it is diverted out of the shipping container loop onto a storage conveyor, and a new container for that shipping point (particular destination bar coding) is put into the container loop. When a delivery truck arrives, delivery codes for that truck are entered into the system, and all containers with delivery codes entered for that truck are diverted from the active and storage conveyors to the truck. The shipping containers may be scanned as they are loaded for inventory purposes.
The apparatus according to the present invention is not limited by having a fixed central intelligence gathering area which must be continuously modified. Instead the system of the invention has a number of infinitely variable modules, each with some level of intelligence which is able to communicate with other modules. While a controller is utilized for recording data or interfacing various operations, it is not the primary control for the line functions, but rather the line functions are controlled at each individual station.
According to one aspect of the present invention apparatus for handling stacks of documents is provided. The apparatus comprises the following elements: A plurality of individual modules, each module having intelligence associated therewith, and self-contained control means associated therewith. Document conveying means extending between the modules and for moving documents into association with, or into and out of association with, the modules. A plurality of sensing means for sensing the position, type, or size of stacks of documents being conveyed by the conveying means, at least one sensing means associated with each of the modules. And, a plurality of open top containers each for containing (and capable of containing) a plurality of stacks of documents for a common destination. A container conveyor means for conveying the containers in a closed loop may also be provided, and one of the modules comprises a container filing module located above the container conveying means for selectively dropping a stack of documents into a container. Other modules may include a fold, sever, stack and merger module, a special handling module for removing special document groups from the main line conveyor; a wrapping module and/or a banding module (provided together or independently); auxiliary transfer conveyor modules; and the like.
According to another aspect of the present invention apparatus for handling groups of documents is provided comprising the following elements: First linear document conveying means for conveying documents in a first predetermined path. First auxiliary document conveyor means connected to the first linear conveying means by transfer conveyors, and defining a closed loop beginning and ending in the first linear conveying means. Second auxiliary document conveyor means connected to the first linear conveying downstream of the first auxiliary conveyor means in the first path, and defining a closed loop beginning and ending in the first linear conveying means. First container filling means connected to the first linear conveyor means by a transfer conveyor. First container conveying means defining a conveying loop path beneath the filling means. And, automatic sensing means for sensing documents at the first container filling means and a container beneath the first container filling means and selectively operating the first container filling means to deposit documents from the filling means into a container on the first container conveying means.
The automatic sensing means may include means for sensing the size of a group of documents at the first filling means, and means for determining the remaining volume of the container beneath the first filling means. A plurality of container filling means preferably are provided disposed above the first container conveying means. Second sensors sense documents on the first linear document conveying means upstream of the first auxiliary conveying means, and selectively pass the documents to the first auxiliary conveying means. Another automatic sensing means senses when a group of documents is at the first filling station and selectively passes the group of documents to the first filling station if it is unoccupied. A second container conveying means remote from the filling means, and a transfer conveyor connecting the first and second container conveying means, also are provided, as well as a further sensor for sensing the fullness of the containers on the first container conveying means and selectively controlling the transfer conveyor between the first and second container conveyor means.
The apparatus also comprises a system for automatically handling groups of documents, including the following elements: Means for printing a plurality of documents. Means for grouping the printed documents into a plurality of different groups. First conveying means for conveying grouped documents away from the printing means. Means for verifying the correctness of the groups of documents. A special document group location. Means for selectively diverting groups of documents from the first conveying means to the special document group location in response to the verifying means. And, means for selectively acting on the groups of documents conveyed by the first conveying means to maintain the integrity of the groups in bundles.
According to another aspect of the present invention apparatus for handling stacks of documents comprises: A plurality of transport conveyors for conveying documents in stacks thereon, and disposed in at least one continuous loop configuration so that there are intersections between at least some of the transport conveyors. A plurality of transfer conveyors located at the intersections between the transport conveyors for selectively transferring stacks of documents from one transport conveyor to an intersecting transport conveyor. First automatic sensing means for sensing the stacks of documents, and in response to the sensing selectively controlling the transfer conveyors. Container conveying means for conveying a plurality of containers adapted to be receive said stacks of documents. Automatic filling means for depositing selected stacks of documents in selected containers. And, second automatic sensing means for sensing the containers, and in response to sensing the containers and to the first automatic sensing means, selectively operating the filling means to deposit selected stacks of documents in selected containers.
The containers are typically open topped and the automatic filling means comprises a movable document support surface, such as a pair of dump paddles separately mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to and horizontally spaced from the axis of the other of the dump paddles. The dump paddles are disposed over the container conveyor means which are at a second vertical level below the first level a distance corresponding to at least the height of the container. Means are provided for controlling the movable document support surface to effect movement so that it no longer supports a stack of documents so that the stack of documents drops into an open top container. A plurality of filling means are provided each comprising a pair of dump paddles with independent control means for operating the dump paddles of each filling means.
The transfer conveyors can comprise a plurality of driven rollers parallel to each other and located adjacent one another and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the rollers, and a plurality of endless conveyor belts are disposed over the rollers and elongated in the direction of conveyance. The apparatus further comprises means for acting on the stacks of documents for placing them in integral bundles and third automatic sensing means for sensing which bundles will be acted upon in what particular manners. The acting means may comprise plastic shrink wrapping means and/or banding means. The third sensing means may include means for sensing a thickness of a stack to be acted upon and depending upon the thickness selectively placing a stiff sheet into contact with the top or bottom of the stack (e.g. if the stack has a thickness of less than one inch). There also may be the sensing means downstream of the shrink wrapper for selectively directing the bundle to banding means depending upon the sensed thickness (e.g. if greater than one and one-half inches bands or straps are provided in two perpendicular directions around the bundles). Each stack of documents in each container preferably has destination bar coding associated therewith, and the first and second automatic sensing means each comprise bar code sensing means. There also may be provided means for generating a bar code label with the same destination bar coding thereon as a removable container so that the label can be applied to a new emptier container which replaces the full container.
The invention also relates to a method of automatically creating and sorting document groups for automatic delivery to a plurality of different destinations, using a plurality of different containers with machine readable destination codes. The method comprises the steps of substantially continuously and automatically: (a) Automatically creating a plurality of different groups of documents, each group having from one to many documents. (b) Automatically creating machine readable indicia for association with each of the groups of documents, the indicia including at least destination indicia. (c) Automatically associating the machine readable indicia with each group of documents. (d) Automatically diverting one of the groups of documents to a first filling station. (e) Automatically sensing the machine readable destination indicia associated with the groups of documents at the first filling station. (f) Automatically passing the plurality of containers with machine readable destination codes past the first filling station. (g) Automatically sensing the machine readable destination codes of the containers as they move past the first filling station. And, (h) when the sensed destination indicia of a group of documents at the first filling station matches the destination code of a container passing past the first filling station, automatically transferring the group of documents from the first filling station to the matched container.
There may also be the further step (i) of determining the size of the group of documents at the first filling station and the volume remaining in the matched container, and step (h) may be practiced only if the determination from step (i) indicates sufficient remaining volume in the matched container to receive the group of documents at the first filling station. There may also be the further step (j) of providing for passage in step (f) of a new matched container for the group of documents at the first filling station if it is determined in step (i) that the matched container has insufficient volume remaining.
Typically a plurality of different filling stations are provided, and step (f) is practiced to continuously recirculate the containers past all of the filling stations, and step (d) is practiced for each filling station in response to sensing of the availability of each filling station to receive a group of documents.
There may alternatively, or in addition, be the further steps, between steps (c) and (d), of (i) verifying that each group of documents is a proper group of documents, and (j) if in response to step (i) it is determined that the group is not a proper group, diverting the improper group to an improper group location so that it does not pass to step (d). Step (i) is practiced to verify that the appropriate number and type of documents are in a group and to verify that the group does not contain more than a predetermined number of documents (e.g. 500), which require special handling. Step (b) is typically practiced by printing a sheet of paper associated with each group of documents with a bar code, and the machine readable codes associated with each container are also bar codes.
The method may also comprise the further steps of (i) automatically sensing the absence or presence of a group of documents at the first filling station, practicing step (d) if no other group of documents is sensed at the first filling station, and (j) if step (i) senses another group of documents at the first filling station, causing the group of documents to move past the first filling station in a closed loop path until the first filling station is open as sensed during the practice of step (i).
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of automatically handling groups of documents is provided, comprising the steps of automatically and subsequentially: (a) Continuously printing a plurality of documents. (b) Grouping the printed documents into a plurality of different groups. (c) Verifying the correctness of the group of documents. (d) If in response to step (c) a group of documents is determined to be incorrect for further processing, diverting the document to an incorrect document group location. (e) If in response to step (c) a group of documents is determined to be correct for further processing, determining the thickness of the group of documents. (f) If in response to step (e) a document is determined to have a thickness less than a predetermined amount, placing a stiff sheet on the group of documents. And, (g) wrapping each group of documents into a bundle.
The method may also comprise the further steps of automatically and substantially sequentially: (h) Sensing the thickness of each bundle of documents, and (i) if in response to step (h) it is determined that the thickness of the bundle is greater than a predetermined amount, banding the bundle. Step (i) is practiced to band the bundle by fastening bands or straps around it in two different, substantially perpendicular directions.
According to still another aspect of the invention a method of routing a plurality of stacks of documents to desired destinations, at least two groups of documents being routed to each of at least two different destinations, is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Providing a paper sheet having bar coding thereon with destination indicia at at least the top or the bottom of each of the plurality of stacks of documents. (b) Automatically sensing the destination bar coding on each stack of documents. (c) Automatically sensing destination bar coding associated with a container large enough to receive a plurality of stacks of documents. And, (d) automatically in response to steps (b) and (c), depositing a plurality of stacks of documents having the same destination bar coding in a matched bar code container.
There may also be the further steps of (e) automatically sensing when each container has more than a predetermined amount of documents therein so that the remaining volume in the container is less than the size of the next expected stack of documents, indicating that the container is full, and (f) automatically replacing the full container with an emptier container having the same destination bar coding. There may also be the further step of (g) substantially continuously moving the stacks of documents and containers while practicing steps (b) and (c), to allow random matching of the stacks with the containers. There may also be the step (h), prior to step (d), of acting on the stack of documents so that it maintains its integrity during the practice of steps (a)-(d), and so that at least a plurality of the stacks can be easily removed from the container, distinctly from the other stacks in the container. Step (h) may be practiced by banding, plastic shrink wrapping, or both, at least some stacks. Step (a) may be practiced to provide handling bar code indicia on the paper sheet with the destination bar code indicia, in which case there are the further steps of automatically sensing the handling bar code indicia on the paper sheet and practicing step (h) in response to that sensing.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the efficient automatic handling of documents from a laser printer. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.